A GREAT CLASS

“Look, I don’t really know where we should take this bus. But I know this much: If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus, then we’ll figure out how to take it someplace great.”

- Jim Collins. “Good to Great.” 

This week we read the third chapter of the book, "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. This chapter talks about the importance of getting high quality and talented individuals with what is previously stated as Level 5 leadership capacities, this should all happen prior to coming up with the strategy as to "how" to reach the goals set. Not only this, but the author tells us that with the right people in the right positions, most typical issues and lay offs could be avoided, resulting on the company advancing forward in the good to great scale. Throughout the rest of chapter three, Collins expands upon the main idea, and states other factors that apply such as trust, good leaders and most of all good workers. 

As soon as I was finished with my reading, I had a clear connection in mind. I didn't associate this chapter with businesses or organisations, because to be honest those subjects remain a little shady in my mind, but I did make a link between the areas touched in the book and the environment we cultivate in the Innovation Academy community. I remember last week Mr. Bon telling us how some mornings he wasn't going to be able to make it to class on time, or he would be elsewhere meeting with individuals from our group regarding our personal projects, but he still trusted that we where responsible, principled student, and that we would do the right thing even when he wasn't there. In my mind I automatically pictured the typical scenario of the teacher leaving the students alone for a few minutes and total chaos breaking down, but I was surprised to see we all behaved to our maximum capacity. I was so used to the typical "Genius with a thousand workers" classroom scenario that I didn't think that having trustworthy students who are engaged and placed in a room full of other right students will create a GREAT classroom, and that is when I realised that that is what Collins meant with the right people on the right bus. 

---